The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-10-13

another mans mausoleum. Four inspired
authors wrote of His biography. and in
Vulnerable lives of Christ have been pub
lished, but He composed His autobiography
in most compressed way. He said: "I
have trodden the wine press alone" Poor
in the estimation of nearly all the pros
porous classes. They called Him Sabbath
breaker, wine bibber, traitor, blasphemer,
and ransacked the dictionary of opprobrium
from lid to lid to express their detestation.
l can think now Of only two we'll to do men
who espoused His cause-Nicodsmu and
Joseph of Arimathea. His friends for the
most part we're people who, in that climate
where ophthalmy or Inflammation of the
6yeball sweeps ever and anon as a scourge,
had become blind, sick people who we're
anxious to get we'll, and troubled people in
whose family there was some one dead or
dying. If He had o purse at all it was
empty, or we would have heard what was
done with the contents at the post-mortem.
Poor2 The pigeon in the dove cote, the
rabbit in its burrow, the silk worm in its
cocoon, the bee in its hive, is better pro-
yided for, better off, better sheltered. Aye,
the brute creation has q home on earth,
which Christ has not.
II on windy days the raven
Gambol like O dancing skiff
Not the less he loves his haven
On the bosom of the cliff
If almost with eagle piniOn
Ger the Alps the chamois roam,
Yet he has sone small dominion
Which no doubt he calls his home.
But the Crown Prince Of all heavenly
dominion has less than the raven, less
than the chamois, for He was homeless.
Aye, in the history of the universe there is
no other instance of such coming down.
Who can count the miles from the top of
the throne to the bottom of the cross? Gle
opatra, giving banquet to Antony, took
pearl worth $1,000 and dissolved it in
vinegar and swallowed it. But when our
Prince, according to the evangelist, in His
last hours took the vinegar, in it had been
dissolved all the pearls of his heavenly
royalty. Down until there was no other
depth for Him to touch, troubled until
there was no other harassment to suffer,
poor until there was no other pauperism to
torture, Billions of dollars spent in wars
to destroy men, who will furnish the sta
tistics of the value of that precious blood
that was shed TO save us? "Ye know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that,
though he was rich yet for your sakes he
became poor"
Only those who study this text in two
places can fully reach its power-the Holy
Land of Asia Minor and the holy land of
Heaven. How l should like some day 10
take drink out of jacobs well, and take n
snil on Galilee, aud read the Sermon on
the Mount while standing on Olivet, and
see the wilderness where Christ was
tempted, and be some afternoon on CAL
vary Mt about 3 o'clock, the hour at which
closed the crucitiyion, and sit under the
sycamores and by the side of the brooks,
and think and dream and pray about the
poverty of Him who came our souls to
save. But you and l will probably be de-
MED that, and 80 here, in another conti-
nent and in another hemisphere, and in
scenes az different as possible, we recount
as well We may how poor our heavenly
Prince became. And in the other holy
land above we may all study the riches
that He left behind when He started for
earthly expedition. Come, let us bargain
TO meet each other at the door of the
Fathers mansion, or on the bank of the
river just where it rolls from under the
throne, or at the outside gate. Jesus got
the contrast by exchanging that world for
this; we will get it by exchanging this
world for that. There and then You will
understand more of the wonders of the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who,
though He was rich, yet for your sakes
became poor"
Yes grace, free grace, sovereign grace,
omnipotent grace. Among the thousands
Of words of the language there is no more
queenly word. 1t means free and un-
merited kindness. My text has no monop-
oily of the word. One hundred and twenty
nine times does the Bible eulogize grace.
~ 10 10 o. Ii. s,,Aa
pardon of God all the millions who choose
to enter it.
John Newton sang Of it when he wrote:
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved wretch like mel
Philip Doddridge put it into an hymnol-
ogy when he wrote:
Grace 'ts a charming sound,
Harmonious 10 the ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound
And all the world shall hear.
One of John Bunyan's great books is en-
titled "Abounding Grace. at is all Of
grace that / am saved" has been on the
lips Of hundreds Of dying Christians. The
boy Sammy was right when, being ex-
amined for admission into church mem
bership, he was asked "Whose work was
your salvation2" and he answered: part
mine and part Gods" Then the examiner
asked: "What part did you do, Sammy"
and the answer was: 81 opposed God all
could, and He did the rest!" Oh, the
height of it, the depth of il, the length Of
il, the breadth Of it, the grace of Godl
Mr.. Fletcher having written pamphlet
that pleased the King, the King offered to
compensate him, and Fletcher answered:
There is only one thing want, and that
is more grace" Yes, my blood-bought |